The construction of a 54-turbine Scottish offshore wind farm has taken a “huge step forward” with the fitting of the first of its two offshore substations.
The major milestone means the Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) development, located around 9 miles off the coast of Fife, can be fully connected to the national grid.
Work to install the offshore wind farm’s 54 turbines is due to get underway next year.
Saipem used the largest installation vessel in the world, the Heerema Sleipnir, to place the 1100 tonne topside onto one of the two foundation jackets.
In order to anchor the offshore substation to the seabed, an innovative “rock socket” solution was prepared last year by the Saipem 7000 and Saipem 3000 construction vessels.
Once installed, the power generated by the offshore wind farm’s turbines will be exported via NnG’s two offshore substations to its onshore substation.
There, the green energy will be fed into the national grid’s entry point at Crystal Rig in the Lammermuir Hills, East Lothian.
The first turbines will be operational in mid-2023, with completion of the entire wind farm scheduled for 2024.
NnG had previously been expected to hit full production in 2023, but the timeline was pushed back earlier this year due to the impacts of Covid.
There have also been reports that Saipem has been late in delivering the project’s steel jackets, incurring a huge financial hit on the contractor.
NnG, jointly owned by EDF Renewables and ESB, will have a capacity of around 450 megawatts (MW).
It will supply enough low carbon electricity for around 375,000 homes and will offset over 400,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.
Matthias Haag, NnG project director, said: “Having the first of NnG’s two offshore substations in place is a really important moment for everyone involved in the construction of this major offshore development for Scotland.
“A lot of hard work has gone in to preparing the seabed and installing two foundation jackets to help us reach this significant milestone and I’m pleased that we can now continue with connecting the platform to the grid and undertaking further foundation works.
“It’s an exciting time for NnG as construction continues both offshore and onshore and we are on track for our first turbines to be operational in mid-2023, with completion of the entire wind farm scheduled for 2024.”
Recommended for you
